ABSTRACT
This chapter examines what makes news; working with journalists and social media influencers (SMIs); how to pitch a story; common mistakes and what goes in to creating viral, shareable content. Influencers can be celebrities, politicians, journalists or leaders who have ‘influence’— someone with a lot of followers or fans, or who has a lot of power. Influencers work across a variety of platforms— they may run a respected blog or website, have a large following on Twitter, have a high engagement rate on Facebook, host videos with lots of views on YouTube, or regularly get a significant amount of interaction on Instagram, or a combination of these. There are many advantages of having an SMI rather than a journalist promotes, endorse or review one's organisation, brand. A greater concern is the potential for an influencer to suddenly change their own brand. Knowing what makes something newsworthy, and therefore of interest to journalists or influencers, can be a tricky business.
